Monday, August 15, 2011

Day 23: Permission Not to Shine

When I first began my teaching career, I thought I was going to change the world! I just knew that I was going to positively influence every student that set foot in my classroom door.  Just as with any new adventure, we set our hopes high and our expectations higher.  There's nothing wrong with that.  We just need to know that at some point reality is going to hit and we may become discouraged.  I remember seeing an article, or book title, or training topic (it was a long time ago) entitled "Permission Not to Shine."  It was about realizing that we can't be perfect and stand out all the time. I thought that was so odd.  Who wouldn't want to shine?  Who wouldn't want to try their best? Who was already going to make excuses for what they didn't accomplish?  Then it hit me.  It's not about not wanting to do our best, it's about forgiving ourselves when we fall short, knowing that we can't always be perfect.



Keeping our homes in perfect order while maintaining an elegant attitude while having the perfect little gifts on hand while ironing our pillowcases just can't happen 100% of the time.  AND THAT'S OK!   Cut yourself some slack.  Take the day off of housework to play in the sprinklers with your kids, or to finish up that crocheting project, or to start that classic novel you've always wanted to read.    Elegance comes in small steps and small changes.  Elegance can be found in taking a break :)  What a nice thought!

In your quest for elegance, give yourself and others around you permission once in awhile to not shine.

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